This season has had some ridiculous free agent conspiracies, cough cough, oops, I mean signings. With the Miami Super friends taking all the media attention, and the 2010 FIBA World Championship, its hard to focus on the upcoming 2010-11 season.

Today we focus on which players will have a breakout season in 2010-11, and why.

1. Darren Collison, Indiana Pacers

If O’Brien doesn’t figure out how to adapt to his game, he is not a good coach. Collison posted All Star level caliber performances over 40 games as the starter while Chris Paul was out, which is a long enough stretch to dispel any chance of it being a fluke. 2.

Anthony Randolph, New York Knicks

If Randolph starts, he will show Amare what rebounding and blocking shots are. Randolph’s main threat to stunt his unreal breakout potential are injuries and Russian import Timofey Mosgov taking over the starting position at center.

Don Nelson had a Chris-Webber like vendetta against Randolph, but with a new coach and a new team, the sky is the limit for this kid.

3. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

Look for Love to win the rebounding title, or come damn close. Seriously, his DNA attacks basketballs careening off the rim. With Jefferson gone, his numbers will spike, including assists.

Love is a brilliant passer, and although he lacks a but on the the defensive end, he will likely devise a strategy that works to make that part of his game solid as well. He is intelligent enough to make it happen.

4. Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers

Look for him to dominate the minutes and the paint. Legitimate 15-10 here. Speights has the game, and frame, to help the 76ers turn things around. Like Randolph, he was riddled with injuries, and never quite was able to find his stride after returning.

With Samuel Dalembert gone, Speights has to share time with Elton Brand and his insane contract (good job Ed Stefanski!) who might get minutes simply because of his contract.

5. Tiago Splitter, San Antonio

After watching him in the FIBA Tournament, it is safe to say Splitter will have a break out year his first year in the NBA. He has it all. Power, athleticism, coordination, soft touch.

Splitter will get as many minutes as he can play, and pushes Duncan over to his natural power forward position. Although personal numbers can suffer in Poppovich’s system, Splitter will be a breakout player in how he changes the landscape in San Antonio this year.

Noteworthy:

Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Jrue Holliday, and Ramon Sessions.

The Golden State Warriors have a new look, new ownership, and added a few new faces after clearing roster space to acquire David Lee via a sign and trade deal with the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, some of the Warriors misfortunes have followed them into the new look era. 

Ekpe Udoh, the number 6 overall draft selection in the 2010 NBA Draft has injured his wrist, becoming yet another Warriors draftee being injured. He is not expected back for at least 6 months. So the 6^th pick is injured for 6 months? What an unfortunate coincidence. 

Meanwhile, Greg Monroe has used his opportunities this summer to awe with his post and passing skills.  Oh yeah, he is healthy too. Hard to think about how the Warriors passed on his talents when they are relying on Andris Beidrins to hold down the middle. 

The biggest loss for the Warriors will be Anthony Randolph. Sure Don Nelson had zero faith in him, but when the kid played, he played hard. Sure he made mistakes, but it is hard to argue anyone in the league plays as hard as Randolph does. 

Randolph is now destined to follow the path of many ex-Warriors who will develop into NBA all Stars and have great success with a new team. Maybe he will be the latest ex-Warrior to deliver New York success a la Latrell Sprewell.  He is too multidimensional not to excel under a nurturing and understanding coach like Mike D’Antoni. 

The Warriors gave up a lot to get Lee.

Will Don Nelson be sacked? Let’s all hope so. Watching him coach has been nothing less than absolute torturous the past few seasons. It worsened once the league official informed him he could not be soused during his post game press conferences.  

Nelson has influenced too many bad personnel moves, the most recent including the banishment of Randolph. Rather than trade Randolph when he could have gotten higher value last year, he places him in the doghouse and lowers his value. Typical Warriors of old. 

To be fair, David Lee stands to benefit within the Warriors system, especially when you pair Lee with a backcourt containing Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. 

Lee is be a beast on the boards and can flat out fill the lane on the break. This looks to be a match made in heaven. I still cannot condone giving up Randolph. He is far too promising and young to let go. 

If Biedrins shows up and avoids getting to the free throw line, the Warriors could have some serious rebounding on both ends of the glass. 

But with Ekpe already down, and with Brandon Wright with a separated shoulder away from joining him on the sidelines, what will the Warriors be able to do to in order to avoid over-exhausting their stars before the All Star break? 

The Golden State Warriors were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, 103-91. How bad are things in the Bay Area? Bad. It is hard to imagine things any worse for Warriors.

Sure you can hack it up to a variety of injuries crippling the Warriors depth. Yes they are an extremely young team. There was also the Stephen Jackson shake up with trade demands.

Trading the talented Randolph will cripple the Warriors long term. (Credit: picapp.com)

The Warriors are 7-17. They are rumored to be shopping Anthony Randolph, a player whose progress they are displeased by this season. This would be the worst move Golden State can make.

No one plays harder or with more hustle than Randolph. He oozes superstar potential.

Perhaps, with the playoffs already out of sight, the Warriors should start their younger prospects together and develop their skills for the future. When Randolph starts and plays big minutes he has proven he can be effective. With another lottery pick on the way, give the kids the minutes, and ship out the veterans who want out.

You can expect off nights while the kids grow up on the court, but the Warriors can afford to do this since they are already 7-17.

Perhaps Keith Smart should resume coaching duties, with Nelson sticking to the decisions made behind the scenes. The Warriors clearly played with more intensity with Smart making the calls.

Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and Randolph are the future for the Warriors. Trading any of these guys will be the biggest mistake in franchise history since the Chris Webber trade. If Don Nelson and management have any common sense, they will give Randolph more minutes, and continue to develop the core of him, Ellis, and Curry.

This is the best shot they have at a future. Period. Let Monta be the dominant player he is, and let the kids learn to play together. Sound simple enough, right?

Ellis is the cornerstone of the Warriors future. (Credit:picapp.com)

If they trade Randolph away the Warriors will once again prove without a doubt that they are more concerned with making money than winning.

As loyal as Warriors fans are, they can only take so much before they cease their allegiance.

The Golden State Warriors suck. Yeah, I said it. It is not the fault of the players. It is going to be a long year.

It is entirely because of Chris Cohan and management. I honestly believe Stephen Jackson would not have demanded a trade had the Warriors remained competitive, but that just did not happen.

Next Warrior jumping ship? (Credit: picapp.com)

They failed to secure the talent to compete this season, and Jackson is gone.

Raja Bell made it obvious he does not want to play for the Warriors, proven today by opting to have season ending surgery he had been putting off while in Charlotte.

Monta Ellis is possibly being shopped after doing everything but demanding a trade. With Jackson out, and Ellis traded, the Warriors will fall right back in line with the past roughly 15 years or so of utter NBA futility. Yes, back to the Post-Chris-Webber-Trade era.

In addition to the Raja Bell surgery Kelena Azubuike is done for the year (knee surgery), Andris Biedrins (back problems), and Ronny Turiaf has knee issues, and their is no set time table for a return.

These injuries render the Golden State Warriors into the equivalent of a Championship caliber D League team at this point.

I do believe Anthony Randolph and Stephen Curry are the building blocks of the future, and they will get a lot of minutes, whether or not Don Nelson likes it or not.

Stephen Curry will now loads of minutes (Credit: ESPN)

Once they have proven enough on the court to demand large contracts will they be traded away as well?

As a Warriors fan, I must say at least I can watch Randolph and Curry play now without the normal Nelson shenanigans. It’s just sad that there is no hope whatsoever of NBA playoffs in the Bay Area again.

With the NBA season starting tomorrow it is time for some Protect the Paint predictions as to which player will win which award this year. Two of these predictions might come as a surprise to most readers, but if they happen to become reality, you heard it here first!

Most Valuable Player – Chris Paul

Will Paul get his first MVP this year? (Credit: picapp.com)

If the Hornets are going to have any sort of success this season, it will be because Chris Paul does more than ever as the best point guard in the NBA. If you remove Paul from the Hornets, they are a lottery team, regardless of David West and Emeka Okafur. Paul is simply that good, and has the weakest supporting cast around him compared to any other MVP candidate.

Rookie of the Year – Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry: NBA Rookie of the Year? (Credit: ESPN)

I made this prediction a while back, and I think by the second month of the season, Curry will be proving this case. His if last game of the preseason is a strong indication of things to come (14 Points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals), this is going to be a no brain decision. Curry’s inflated statistics via the Golden State Warriors offense will help outshine Blake Griffin.

Most Improved Player – Anthony Randolph

Look for Randolph to fight his way to many double doubles. (Credit: picapp.com)

Anthony Randolph has averaged 17 PPG and 11 RPG during the preseason. His minutes as a starter should translate into big numbers this season. He should average a double double and provide us with many highlight reel performances, placing himself into the hearts of voters all year long.

Defensive Player of the Year – Dwight Howard

Howard should repeat as the leagues best on Defense. (Credit: picapp.com)

Howard is the incumbent, and few players in the league will compete with him repeating as the best defensive presence in the league. Howard is the clear favorite for this award, with Boston’s Kevin Garnett as a distant second.

6^th Man of the year – Paul Millsap

Look for Millsap to be named the leagues best reserve. (Credit: picapp.com)

Millsap contributes brilliant numbers for minutes played, and could break out further this year. Millsap might not win the award if Boozer is traded, as he would immediately become the starter. If Manu Ginobili is healthy this year, look for him to outshine Millsap on a team going further than the Jazz will this season.

A dominant 6^th man on a Championship contender usually gets the nod.

Fantasy basketball has returned, and I have a few picks to offer the readers that I think will be highly beneficial to any fantasy roster. Other than the usual suspects, these 3 picks should pack a huge impact to any fantasy league roster.

Here are my top 3 “steal of the draft” picks for this upcoming season.

Hope they put you into first in your league!

Expect big time production from thie young big. (Credit: picapp.com)

Marreese Speights

Speights is highly productive and has  strong numbers in limited play. Look for him to break out big time this season. He scores well inside, and has tremendous athletic ability and mobility for his size.

If he gets the minutes, he should serve well at a utility roster spot for  blocks, steals, and rebounds. He will not hurt your FG or FT %, and has low turnover rates as he always protects the ball.

Look for Randolph's value to sky this year. (Credit:picapp.com)

Anthony Randolph

Finally a starter, Randolph will shoot a high FG and FT %, and possibly average a double-double this season. With Brandon Wright pretty much a wash for the season, look for Randolph to log big minutes.

He is less of a secret since his breakout performance during the Las Vegas Summer League, and he will fill the stat sheets in multiple offensive and defensive categories, and is worth considering drafting him higher than he ranks. Worth drafting when you get into the 7th round.

Blair could end up being the bigest draft day bargain. (Credit: picapp.com)

DeJuan Blair

Odds are he will be passed on a lot like he was during the 2009 NBA Draft, but you should consider watching him on the waiver wire at the bare minimum. Blair is a rebounding machine, and scores points in bunches.

Keep your eye on him as the season begins, depending on how Gregg Poppovich uses him, he could be the steal of yet another draft by mid season. Let’s face it, Blair was a dominant force for Pitt last year, and has been nothing less than amazing during the preseason.

While watching yesterday’s preseason game of the Golden State Warriors vs. the Los Angeles Clippers I was hoping to get a further glimpse of young Warriors Anthony Randolph and Stephen Curry. However, while enjoying their progress, my attention began shifting towards the Clippers. The Clippers came back from a 72-57 halftime deficit to take the lead in the first 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter. They tightened the defense, and moved the ball around effortlessly. I am sold that the Clippers are making it into the playoffs.

Look for Baron's smile in that huge beard this season. (Credit: picapp.com)

The bottom line is the Clippers are going to be very good. Yeah, I said it. Baron Davis seems poised to resume playing the dominant style of basketball he did as a member of Golden State during the 2006-07 season.

The depth chart at every position is maddening. Their second and third option at every position is solid.

Here is a look the Clippers depth chart, as seen at espn.com:

This is a deep team when healthy (Credit: espn.com)

Sebastian Telfair started as PG for the Timberwolves  for the majority of last season.

Marcus Camby, even at age 35, would start for a large handful of NBA teams.

Rasual Butler started 74 games for the Hornets last season, and offers superb 3 point shooting when spelling second year guard Eric Gordon.

DeAndre Jordan is only 21, and it is safe speculation he would have been a high lottery pick this season had he stayed in school another year. He has the opportunity to develop and grow around talented big men Chris Kaman and Camby.

With Houston looking to fall off hard this year due to the loss of Yao Ming, the potential for the Clippers to battle with the likes of Phoenix, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans for the 7th and 8th seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs seems more than realistic.

Here are some strong arguments as to why they will make the playoffs, based on the game last night:

• Blake Griffin is as good as his hype, if not better. He imposed his will upon the Warriors last night. He owned the Warriors offensively in the paint to the tune of 15 points and 9 rebounds in only 23 minutes.  With the depth the Clippers have, his 5 fouls can be overlooked and should only decrease as he catches up to speed.

• If Griffin and Butler can come off the bench as they did last night, they will devour second unit defenses of opposing teams.

• The way Baron Davis distributed the ball last night was a solid sign that he has his mind right this season. Davis plays all star caliber basketball when he comes to play, and has both size and strength advantages over the majority of the point guards in the league.

• Eric Gordon has clearly improved his overall game since last season. If he continues to play with this form, the Clippers backcourt might end up being the best 1 and 2 giard combination in Los Angeles.

So you might want to get all your Clipper jokes out of your system sooner than later folks. The opportunity to make fun of the perennial NBA laughing stock franchise might be dwindling more rapidly than you think.

Last year Shannon Brown emerged as the best player of the Vladimir Radmanovic/Adam Morrison trade for the Lakers.

His solid defense, stellar hustle, and flat out hard work earned him significant minutes during crucial stretches of the Lakers Championship run. But did anyone know he could climb the ladder so viciously and throw down a dunk with such ferocity?

Once I got past Randolph....... (Credit:KCAL9)

Shannon Brown created his opportunity using his reputable defense. He filled the passing lane on a lackadaisical entry pass, tapping the ball out in front of him. He then turns his court vision up the floor while dribbling to start the fast break.

As you will see in the video, Anthony Randolph is clearly not fast enough to catch up to him and front him, so nobody is in position to stop his momentum up the court.

Once Brown turned the corner on Randolph, there are three warriors in the key at a stalemate, standing flat footed, both hovering around Lamar Odom, almost seemingly too petrified to make an aggressive defensive decision committing to stop Brown.

Those guilty: Corey Maggette, Mikki Moore, and Acie Law.

At this point, Brown has already picked up his dribble, and is at the elbow of the key, eyes widened, and he knows he already has the time to take it all the way.

To his credit, one Warrior, although doing so far too late, Mikki Moore steps up. Unfortunately, he does so only to be victimized by Brown.

You can see part of Brown’s hip smack Moore in his head as he acrobatically soars high above him for the dunk. I admit, I wanted to be considerate for Mikki Moore.

Upon further review, however, I decided he deserved zero compassion.

People who cannot protect the paint fail to live up to the namesake of this blog, and for that, sympathy is something they are entirely unworthy of.

I tip my hat to Shannon Brown, who mesmerized me with his leaping ability after living up to the namesake of this site. He got the steal while protecting the paint, and then flipped the coin on to the Warriors.

Shannon Brown is Protect the Paint approved! Enjoy!

Those of you who watched the NBA summer league games via the broadband internet package might be scratching your heads today. The top overall pick from last month’s draft, Blake Griffin, was selected as the MVP. He had nothing on Anthony Randolph. Let the NBA Summer League scandal begin!

Do you think I deserve my MVP bro? (Credit: AP)

Who voted for this? Was it inside job by Donald Sterling to sell more season tickets without having to sign Allen Iverson to do so?

Clippers: home of the Summer League MVP Blake Griffin. Buy tickets now!

Randolph scored 7.4 points, 2.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game more than Griffin, while shooting 11% better from the floor.

"We'll see who is better come Nov 15th" (Credit: sfgate.com)

Did Griffin win this award simply because he lived up to the hype?

Or is it because of his 2.3 more rebounds per game than Randolph? Maybe it’s the 1.7 more assists per game?

Randolph was clearly the Summer League’s best overall player on both ends of the floor.

There are only two glaring factors to consider why this happened, but nothing to justify the mistake the NBA made.

Randolph was robbed by the NBA this summer. (Credit: lasvegassun.com)

REASON #1: The out of site out of mind phenomenon.

Randolph played his last game July 14th.  The voters must have forgotten how dominant he was by the final day of play, July 19th. How can you forget Randolph in only 5 days?

The out of sight out of mind phenomenon of course!

REASON #2 Griffin played  every game.

Randolph played four games while Griffin played five. After a game in which you drop in 42 points you have proven your point. Why risk injury to your prospect? Of course you shelve your star right then and there. Why was Griffin MVP?

It was because he played in every game of course!

The games are still available online to subscribers for another week via the broadband on demand package. People can view the NBA’s mistake for one week longer via the internet.

Hopefully, people will watch and decide for themselves how badly the NBA blew this one.

Can’t wait for the first Warriors/Clippers game (November 15 in the land of smog) so this can be decided on the court.

Anthony Randolph is ripping through the NBA Summer League competition. His 42 point explosion Tuesday insures that Randolph is no longer flying under the NBA radar.

He is averaging 26.8 points 8.5 rebounds 3 blocks and 2.2 steal, and 1.2 assists a game.

have all the defensive skills to own you Shard. (Credit: picapp.com)

Somewhere in Las Vegas Don Nelson is setting down his beer can, sitting up, while fighting his grog-induced double vision to take notice. Or perhaps maybe he sobered up this morning to the news of Randolph’s performance.

Anthony Randolph is an passionate kid. Be it slamming down tomahawk dunks, skying high to reject shots, and even while he ties his shoelaces, the man-child is incapable of not giving all of his intensity.

Anthony’s opportunities were diminutive last season as Nelson primarily focused on being drunk rather being patient with his talented rookies. Another loss, another can of Bud Light. You get the picture.

And you wonder why I drink? (Credit: picapp.com)

Randolph’s desire to succeed and play hard compounded these mistakes. He was his own harshest critic, but unfortunately he reprimanded himself while the game was still in progress. Frequently, he watched the game from the pine as a result.

Nelson questioned Randolph’s maturity.  Nellie spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle, publicly calling him out, leading to his further demise in the rotation: “We’re going to put him on ice for a while,” Nelson said, adding, “He’s just going to have to grow up.”

Upon the Warriors playoff window closure, and his practice habits meeting Nellie’s sloppy standards, Randolph started seeing the time needed to display, develop, and refine his game.

Coming soonto an All Star game near you. (Credit: picapp.com)

The current Warriors lineup is not that of a title contender. Why not let the kid play so that someday soon the core of Randolph, Stephen Curry, and Monta Ellis can develop into one? At minimum his energy, hustle, and abilities will entertain the Warriors faithful.

Randolph is playing so dominantly that if he is not named a starter, it is proof Nelson is drinking too much  and should be put on ice.